Category Archives: Snacks

March 10, 2013 · 11:12 am

Basil Hummus

I’m accidentally jumping on this green food for St. Patrick’s day bandwagon.  We’ll pretend I meant to do that.

basil

Seriously though…have you seen the amount of basil you need to make any significant amount of pesto?  What’s up with that?  Not an option.

basilprep

I’ll stick to the occasional package o’ pesto splurge and in the meantime…

hummus2

I’m making hummus.

Heck yeah cheater pesto!  This is much easier on my wallet.  Plus…there’s protein in there! Health!

chickpea

I know it seems plain but do not underestimate the deliciousness of basil pesto.  Daniel loved it.  That’s all you need to know.

pointy

Oh yeah..I peeled my chickpeas. a la Smitten Kitchen.

peel

Peeling the peas made the hummus sooo smooooth. The peeling process wasn’t as bad as it sounds.  The skins come off quickly and easily with a satisfying pop of your fingers. Don’t worry.  Peeling not required.

swirl

Do not feel pressured to peel your chickpeas like a crazy person.  That’s what crazy people with snow days and a blog do for fun.

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I even support simply smashing chickpeas with a potato masher and enjoying chunky hummus.  Call it “rustic.”  I’m just trying to tell you that it’s ok to roll your eyes at that step and move on.

(It’s worth trying at least once, though.)

pouch

That is roasted garlic.

garlic

If you have roasted garlic on hand USE IT!  If you have extra time on your hands and feel like roasting some garlic for your hummus DO IT!  Just wrap it in foil and roast it until it gets soft, sweet and delicious.

roasted2

Raw garlic or garlic powder work just fine but the rich, sweet flavor of roasted garlic is. the. bomb.

humnveg

There’s no oil in my hummus.  I don’t think you need it.  You may certainly add some if you want.  I DID stir some whole toasted pinenuts into my hummus.  For crunch! Also for maximum pesto experience.

pine

Prepare your veg.

veggie

…aaaaaaand dunk.

carrot

Or go make a sandwich.

spread

Hummus is yummus!

glob

(Bet you’ve never heard that one before…clever, right?)

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Basil Hummus

Recipe a conglomeration of my taste and things from the interweb

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
1 1/4 cup chickpeas (reserve either cooking water or the water from the can)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or a clove or two of fresh garlic OR roasted garlic…highly recommended.)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2-1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (to taste)
1 tablespoon tahini
1/4 cup reserved chickpea water
1 handful of pinenuts (optional)

  1. If you want to, peel your chickpeas.  Just pick them up one at a time and slide the skin off.
  2. This is really complicated. Ready?  Put everything (except the pinenuts) in the food processor fitted with the blade attachment.  Let it run until everything is as smooth as your heart desires.  Be patient.  The longer it runs, the smoother the final product will be.
  3. Stir in pinenuts and drizzle with olive oil (if you want).  Serve as a dip for veggies or crackers or use as a spread for a sandwich.  Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.  It will keep at least a week.

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February 10, 2013 · 11:03 am

Mint Raspberry Quick Jam

Quick! Let’s jam:

freshmintchoppedlemonsingredientsschiaboilspoonjam

Jam, that was quick!

(Get it!? I’ll stop now.)

Just throwing this out there: it is so. worth. remembering to freeze berries in the summer. It is also so. worth. growing your own herbs.  Here’s a cool method..readers, meet Aerogarden:

herbs

Or you could just purchase them from your local grocery store 🙂 ..equally delicious.

This jam is bright, refreshing, not too sweet which makes it the perfect complement to the richest treats.  Try it!  For Valentine’s Day!  But really for any day.

Round up!

  • Spread some jam between some chocolate cookies for a perfectly simple and sweet Valentine’s Day treat.  Try these! Of course…you COULD take them to the next level and dip them in chocolate and sprinkles but that’s your call.
  • Stir some into your favorite brownie recipe.  If you like to blur the brownie/fudge line Try these!

Or you know….have some toast.

toast

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Mint Raspberry Quick Jam

“Recipe” my own

12 oz raspberries (fresh or frozen…this works with all kinds of berries so feel free to experiment)
1/4 cup waterjuice from 1/2 a lemon (optional but I really like the bright citrus flavor)1/4 cup sugar (or more to taste)1 tablespoon chia seeds (you could also use cornstarch to thicken the raspberry mixture)
(optional) chopped fresh mint to taste-(I used a couple of tablespoons (chopped) thrown in at the end)

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, berries, lemon juice and sugar to a boil.  Stir the chia seeds into the mixture until well combined and turn the heat down to low.

**Note:  The level of mint flavor depends on when you add the mint to the mixture.  The earlier you add it the more it will be a background flavor.  If you add it at the very end it comes through brighter and more upfront.  Choose your own adventure!  Either add it now or wait until the jam is almost at your desired consistency and just barely cook it down

2. Stirring periodically to keep the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan, let the mixture simmer until thick and jammy =).  The longer it simmers the thicker it will be, it might take 20 minutes or it could go for an hour.  It just depends on how thick you like your jam!

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December 31, 2012 · 10:23 am

Honey Sesame Almonds – Three Ways

Almonds.

HSAsingle

Delicious and nutritious, yes, but hardly party food…

…until we add a little sparkle =)

(Ew I’m sorry.  I meant sesame seeds.)

singlecover

No fuss, no nonsense.  Just quick and easy..ready?

Take this sad, lonely little guy..

HSAsingle2

..plus 1 1/2 cups of his closest raw-almond friends and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

HSAtray2

Don’t do anything to them!  They don’t need oil and they don’t need seasoning yet.  10 minutes later you have perfectly roasty toasty almonds that I could eat all day just like that.

HSAalmonds

It gets better.

Add whatever seasoning you want.  Get creative! Almost any combination works.  Honey is a real sweetie and gets along with most things. 😉

I tried cinnamon

HSAcinna

and spice

(garlic, chile powder, cayenne and salt)

HSAsavory

and coated both in honey/brown sugar delight.

HSAcoating

I also left one batch unseasoned…just honey and sesame.  They are absolutely every bit as good as the spiced versions.

You can spend as little or as much time on this as you have/can/want. It’s all about that sesame seed coat.

HSAsesame

You COULD just throw the sesame seeds on top, give it a stir and be done.  They’ll be unevenly coated, slightly sticky and absolutely delicious.

messy

OR you could take your sweet time.

HSAdip

Tossed in small batches they get perfectly even sesame seed coats, they aren’t sticky at all and they’re absolutely delicious.

neat

It works either way, pick your poison.

Spread them out and let them dry a bit.  It really only takes a minute.

HSAneat

That’s all!  In 15 minutes you can make a fun little treat to share.  Make them as a last minute appetizer.  Make them to munch on tonight to keep that champagne under control.  Make them because they’re tasty and crunchy and satisfying which is as good a reason as any.

bowl

Then, accidentally eat them all because they’re perfectly sweet and salty and you can’t stop.

It’s ok, tomorrow is a new year. =)

Here’s to you.

Enjoy!

❤ Ellen

Honey Sesame Almonds

1 1/2 cup raw almonds1/2 cup honey2 tablespoons brown sugar1/4 teaspoon saltenough toasted sesame seeds to coat…it depends on your method and your preference 1/2 cup – 1 cup roughly

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Spread almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the almonds smell/taste toasty and have very slightly darkened in color.  Be careful!  They burn quickly.
  3. While the almonds toast,  put the honey, sugar and salt in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely and the mixture is a little runnier than just plain honey
  4. ((If you’re adding spices…toss toasted, cooled almonds in spices before coating in honey.  See spice combos below.))  Spoon honey mixture over toasted almonds in a medium bowl and stir until evenly coated.  Add one spoonful at a time until the almonds have a thin coat of honey. If you just dump all the honey on top you might find yourself in a sticky situation…ha!
  5. Either shake some sesame seeds over the honey-coated almonds and stir (for a quick, uneven coat) or transfer just a few almonds at a time to a bowl of sesame seeds, toss to coat and transfer to a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to dry.

Cinnamon Honey Sesame Almonds

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for 1 1/2 cups almonds)

  1. Toss the toasted almonds in 1 tablespoon cinnamon (for 1 1/2 cups almonds) before coating with honey.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly distribute the cinnamon with the honey.  You could also stir the cinnamon into the honey before coating to ensure even coverage.  (I didn’t do that because I was making a couple of different batches with my honey)
  2. Complete the process as described above

Savory Honey Sesame Almonds

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder1 tablespoon chile powder1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  1. Whisk all spices together until well combined
  2. Toss the toasted almonds in the spice mixture before coating with honey.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to evenly distribute the spices with the honey.  You could also stir the spices into the honey before coating to ensure even coverage.  (I didn’t do that because I was making a couple of difference batches with my honey)
  3. Complete the process as described above

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